Chapter 7

Chapter 7 "Good idea," Dink said. "Let's go to the dock." "Hold on," Ruth Rose said. She opened the screen door, grabbed some towels, and yelled, "GRAM, WE'RE GOING TO THE BEACH!"

Ruth Rose tossed towels to Dink and Josh as they walked down the side-walk. "What if Spike's still wearing long pants?" she asked. "Dink will think of something," Josh said. He grinned at Dink. "Right?" Dink shook his head. "This was your idea. Besides, you're the observant one!" They thought about it as they walked. When they reached the boat dock, they still hadn't figured out what to do. "I know," Josh said. "I'll tell him Dink is thinking of getting a tattoo! Then Spike will show us his!" Dink laughed. "Kids can't get tattoos, Josh," he said. A few moments later, the kids reached Spike and Chip's boat slip. But the boat wasn't there. "They're gone!" Ruth Rose said. "Now what?" Dink asked. "Should we wait till they come back in?" "Why don't we hang out at the beach for a while?" Josh suggested. "That way we can have fun and watch for the boat at the same time." "Okay" Ruth Rose said. "But we can't stay out late. Gram will worry."

"Last one in kisses pelicans!" Josh yelled. He thundered down the dock and leaped onto the beach. The kids swam, searched for shells, and buried Josh in the sand. By five o'clock, their skin was itchy with sun-burn and salt. "Look, isn't that their boat?" Ruth Rose asked. A white boat was pulling in at the end of the dock. "I think it is!" Josh said. "Come on!" The kids ran back along the dock. They reached the boat as Chip was securing the lines. Spike was behind the wheel, just shutting down the motor. Both men were wearing T-shirts and jeans. Spike's ankles were covered.

"Did you go diving?" Josh asked. "We dive every day," Spike said, stepping onto the dock. He patted his stomach. "Right now, I need a couple of burgers. Ready, Chip?" The kids walked with Spike and Chip to the end of the dock and said good-bye. "We still didn't see a tattoo," Ruth Rose said as they headed for her grandmother's house. "No, but I saw something else," Dink said. "They finished painting the name of the boat. It's the Golden Goose." Josh looked at him. "So?" "The guy at the airport said something about drowning a goose," Dink said. "Maybe that's the goose he was talking about!" "But what does it mean?" Ruth Rose asked. "Boats don't drown." Dink shook his head. "I don't know." A few minutes later, they saw Ruth Rose's grandmother. She was weeding in her front garden. "Hi, Gram!" Ruth Rose called. She looked up and waved. "Tomorrow we go back to the boat and try again," Dink said, keeping his voice low. "You

guys with me?" "What if Spike's still wearing long pants?" Ruth Rose asked. "Then I put my plan to work," Dink said. "What plan?" Josh asked. "I tell him about the tattoo contest," said Dink. Josh stared at Dink. "What contest?" "The one I just thought up," Dink said, tapping his head. "I'm gonna hang a poster down by the dock. The poster will announce a tattoo contest. Then I'll tell Spike and Chip about the contest. If Spike has a tattoo on his ankle, he might mention it, or even show it to us." "Dinkus was in the sun too long," Josh whispered loudly to Ruth Rose. "I think it's brilliant!" Ruth Rose said. "Come on, I'll ask Gram for paper and markers!"